Rotating pointer game device



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April 16, 1957 J. A. BASCLE, JR 2,788,976.

ROTATING POINTER GAME DEVICE; Filed Ndv. s, 1954 INVENTOR 1 .lz 'T 5 m JOSEPH A. 543015.15

wmwwm ATTORNEYS United States 1 ROTATING POINTER GAME DEVICE Joseph A. Bascle, In, Chicago, 11!.

Application November 3, 1954, Serial No. 466,494

4 Claims. (Cl. 273-141) The present invention relates to game of skill and more particularly to a novel form of spinner which may be used in connection with various games.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved spinner carried upon a vertically movable support to the end that the spinner may be carried in freedom above a base for the spinning motion and may be lowered into frictional contact with the base for ease and accuracy in resetting of the pointer to zero and for maintaining the pointer or index in the zero position until such time as the spinner may be needed for subsequent use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved spinner in which the spinning element is automatically elevatable when the device is placed upon a table or other support and is lowered automatically when the device is lifted from the table to permit the spinner to frictionally contact the surface of a base to restrict its casual or accidental rotation whereby its pointer or index may be readily set to and maintained at the zero position of an indicating scale that may be inscribed upon the marginal portion of the base radially outward of the spinner.

A further object of the invention is to provide the device with a transparent cover to prevent air currents from influencing the action of the spinner.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a spinner having a movable needle point suspension for substantially frictionless free rotary movement and an extensive disk adapted to rest upon a base to provide a substantial area of frictional contact to facilitate the resetting to the zero position of the spinner and to maintain the spinner in that position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a spinner which, by the simple act of lifting from the supporting table or lowering upon the supporting table, may be dropped to the friction position or elevated above the friction position.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a form of game of skill constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view, with parts broken away, taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view showing the dropped position of the parts incident to the lifting of the device from the supporting table.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on an enlarged scale along the line 55 in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a horizontal fragmentary section taken on an enlarged scale on the line 66 in Figure 5.

' Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of the device.

2,788,976 Patented Apr. 16,

ice

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 designates a base or a base block adapted to rest upon a table or other supporting surface 11 and having a vertical aperture 12 therethrough communicating at its lower end with a recess 13 which opens out through the lower surface of the base 10 and is exposed to the upper surface of the table 11.

The base it is formed with an external rim or shoulder 14 against which is adapted to seat the bead 15 on the lower edge of a cover having a side wall 16 and a top wall 17. The cover is transparent and preferably made from plastic or the like. The cover wall 16 will preferably have a substantially tight friction fit over the peripheral edge of the base 10 so that while the cover may be removable, it will hug the base to such an extent that the device as a whole may be lifted off the table 11 by grasping the side wall 16 of the cover in the hand.

In the top wall 17 is a substantially central opening 18. A support pin 19, in substantially vertical axial alignment with the opening 13, is fitted slidably through the aperture 12 in the base and has a head or base flange 20 receivable into the recess 13.

The upper end of the support pin 19 is tapered to a substantial needle point 21 and at an intermediate portion the support pin 1? is formed with an annular groove 22 to receive a spring clip 23, one form of which is shown more particularly in Figure 6 to have separable substantially parallel legs 2 and a yoke or collar 25 made in one piece from resilient metal or other suitable material. The clip can be sprung over the pin 19 by forcing the pin between the legs 24. When the pin ar rives at the yoke or collar 25, the inherent resiliency of the pin will snap the collar 25 about the annular groove 22. The spring clip thereby becomes a removable limit stop as hereinafter explained.

The spinner element itself preferably comprises a disk 26 from which centrally rises a post 27 having projecting upwardly from its upper end a stud 28. Such stud may be knurled or otherwise roughened for ease in grasping between the thumb and forefinger for the purpose of imparting rotation to the spinner. The stud 28 projects up through the opening 18 in the top of the cover section 17.

Internally the post is provided with a socket 29 having a cone closed upper end 30 to receive the needle point 21 of the support pin 19. At its lower end the socket has a flaring lower mouth 31 to facilitate the entry of the pin 19 into the socket.

Inscribed or otherwise produced upon the upper surface of the spinner disk 26 is a pointer or index 32 which rotates around with the disk 26 over a scale or indicia table 33 which latter is inscribed or otherwise produced upon the marginal portion of the upper surface of the base 1%) outside the circumferential edge of the spinner disk 26.

In the use of the device, by lowering the base 10 upon the table 11, the flange 20 is driven or forced up into the recess 13, as shown in Figure 2, which action raises the support pin 19 in a manner to raise the spinner disk 26 up off the upper surface of the base 10. The spinner is thus free of any friction between the disk 26 and the base 10. Such spinner is then substantially supported by a point support of the needle 21 upon the apex of the cone 3% of the spinner post 27. In this position the stud 28 is grasped and rotated whereby the pointer or index 32 is carried around the scale 33 and when the momentum has ceased and the pointer 32 come to rest opposite a number or other designation upon the scale 33, the play of a game with which the spinner may be used is thus influenced.

After each spinning action, when it becomes desirable to reset the index'32 to zero on the scale 33, the device as a Whole may be lifted by grasping the side wall 16 of V the cover preferably outwardly of the base It) so that the gripping action in the hand of the operator will also tend to retain the cover upon the base it) so as to lift the base 10 with the cover and avoid any casual separation of the two in the act of raising the device from the table.

Figures 4 and 5 show that when the device is lifted ofi the table'11, the base flange 26 will drop down out of the recess 13 or partially out of such recess, and the pin 19 will likewise fall under the action of gravity, there: by lowering the spinner disk 26 upon the upper surface of the base 10. it will be understood that the distance between the base flange 20 and the spring clip 23 will be greater than the longtiudinal length of the aperture 12 so as to'provide freedom of vertical movement of the support pin 19. V

'Asshown particularly in Figure 5, the pin 1% will drop down until the clip 23 or the legs 24 thereof encounter the upper surface of the base block iii whereupon further downward movement of the pin 19 is arrested. in this position the relatively great surface area of the disk 26 will interpose a substantial friction factor into any rotary movement of the spinner. While this introduction of a friction factor will increase the resistance to rotation of the spinner, it will prevent such free oscillation of the spinner as would make it difiicult to bring the index to the zero position on the scale 33 accurately. Also, the introduction of the friction factor besides stabilizing the spinner for zeroizing will tend to maintain the pointer in the zero position and against any accidental deflection. The device will thus only have to be momentarily held aloft from the table 11 while resetting due to this stabilizing factor and it then may be returned on the table to the position of Figure 2 in readiness for subsequent use inasmuch as the action of restoring the device to the rest position upon the table 11 will'automatically act to lift the support pin 1% to a position Where the spinner disk 26 will be carried free above the base 19. Thus the action of spinning is substantially frictionless.

The action of assembly and disassembly of the parts is very simple due to the construction thereof. in ass mbly'the pin 19 is simply inserted up through the aperture 12, after which the spring clip 23 may be snapped into place; Thereupon the spinner may be lowered upon the upper portion of the pin 19 and the transparent cover finally put into place; To dismount, it is a simple matter to reverse the order of assembly of the parts. The raising and lowering of the support pin is entirely automatic incident to the lifting of the device off the table 11 and subsequently restoring the device to a position of rest upon such table 11 or other support. The pin 19 is thereby raised or lowered. When upon the table the device is automatically ready for instant use, the support pin 19 having been forced upwardly to automatically float the spinner for instant use.

The transparent cover will prevent air currents from influencing the spinner.

The device provides a floating indicator with respect toj'a stationary marker so as to provide an automatic meansto gauge the amount of movement between said indicator'aridsaid base.

"The invention provides a spinner, mounted upon a support pin in such a manner as to automatically provide a r nl s be in i em nd,-

Th'e'invention is also so constructed as to provide a release for the spinner, said release of such a nature as not to" induce rotative movement or influence to the p ne- A' device according to the invention is so constructed "as to provide all of the above features singly and in combination.

Referring more particularly to Figure 7. the si de wall 16: of the cover 17?' is shown to overlap a greater part deeper in vertical dimension, its upper end being shown as contacting the top wall 17% of the cover, although this is not essential. The base is also provided with an annular inclined face 33 for the indexed scale. In this Figure 7 the spinner disk 26 is shown as raised above the upper horizontal surface of the base w as the base flange 21% occupies recess 13* and rests upon the table 11. if desired the external rim M which receives the beaded edge 15 of the cover may be lowered, that is may approach the table 11 to a greater degree than in the first form of the invention. Thus greater area of side wall 16 which is backed by the base 1 is exposed to the fingers of the hand for the purpose of lifting the device to enable the disk 2b? to descend upon the upper end of the base it? to produce frictional stability for resetting the device and for maintaining the zero position of the spinner.

Although i have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known to me at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications and changes as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

i. In a game of skill, a spinner having means to rotate the same and an index thereon, a base below the spinner upon which the spinner is adapted to descend by gravity to produce frictional resistance to turning of the spinner in order to facilitate zeroizing of the index with reference to a scale on the base about the spinner, a support for the spinner movable up and down relatively to the base, and means between the support and base for arresting the downward movement of the support after the spinner has contacted the base and for holding the support with a lower end thereof projecting below the base to be encountered by a support upon which the game is placed whereby the act of placing the game upon the support will elevate the spinner support and the spinner and said means.

2. in a game of skill, a spinner having means to rotate the same and an index thereon, a base having a scale cooperating with the index and extending about the edge of the spinner, a pin movable up and down relatively to the base for supporting the spinn r and adapted when the game is carried in the hand of the operator to drop down by gravity to a position where its lower end projects below the lowermost portion of the base in position to encounter a support for the game when the game is lowered upon said support to thereby raise the pin and the entrained spinner to a position where the spinner is free of the upper portion of the support and will solely rotate about the support provided bysaid pin.

3. In a game of skill, a base having an opening substantially upwardly therethrough, a transparent cover for the base having a side wall fitted outwardly of tie sides of the base for receiving the hand of the operator to lift and lower the game from and to a support in which the pressure of the operators fingers against the side wall of the cover is backed by the base, a pin movable up and down through the opening in the base and having its, lower portion movable automatically by gravity to a position below the lowermostportion of the base when the game is lifted on the support and to encounter the support before thebaseas the game is lowered upon the 7 means connected with the spinner-and accessible on the exterior of the coverfor imparting rotation to the spinner. V

4. In a game of skill, a base adapted' to be litta-bly mounted upon a support, a spinner; movable up and down above the base and adapted in one positipn to rest flatwise upon the upper surface of the base, said spinner and base having thereon correlative index and scale, means for rotating the spinner when it is resting upon the base and in frictional stable contact therewith to facilitate zeroizing of the index with the scale, and carrier means 5 for the spinner movable up and down through the base and having a lower portion adapted to be exposed below the base for contact with the support to develop an upward thrust upon the carrier means to lift the spinner above the base and to support the spinner throughout the 10 spinning operation.

Rdmncea clue in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wilson May 19, 1896 Miller Apr. 29, 1924 Human et a1 Oct. 6, 1925 Paulus et a1. June 14, 1927 Gortner Nov. 18, 1941 Guimond Aug. 28, 1951 

